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What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we welcome the elusive and ultra talented Karl Shakur - a creator who went from sleeping in his car to shooting campaigns for Bugatti, hitting a million followers, and building one of the most distinct visual styles on Instagram.

Karl takes us deep into how he turned a $70K brand deal into proof-of-concept for his entire career, why he left architecture behind, and how he now approaches content like a business - with a 6-pillar strategy built to grow depth, not just followers. We talk about the balance between personal and commercial work, how to build longevity as a creative, and why injecting yourself into your work is the ultimate differentiator.

If you’re a photographer, filmmaker, or content creator trying to turn your art into a full-time career - this is the blueprint.

Check out Karl here:

https://www.instagram.com/karl_shakur/

https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@KarlShakur⁩ 

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Timestamps:

0:00 - Trailer

0:36 - Intro

1:25 - The $70,000 brand deal that changed his life

3:04 - How he used the money

4:15 - Proving his parents wrong

7:53 - Why brands pay Karl so much

11:54 - Where Karl’s love for storytelling came from

13:32 - Motion Array

14:19 - Karl’s creative strategy

18:35 - Does gear matter?

20:05 - How Karl pushes his creative limits

22:05 - Karl’s insane instagram growth

25:28 - Karl’s 6 pillars of content

29:32 - Building depth with your audience

30:53 - Karl is hyper competitive with content

34:21 - Why You Have to Keep Reinventing as a Creator

35:13 - Karl’s fitness routine

38:10 - Tips for Instagram success

40:41 - Why Showing You Is the Key to Standing Out

42:35 - Brands Want You, Not Just Your Art

44:48 - How Karl Lands & Delivers High-End Brand Deals

47:00 - The importance of collaboration

48:37 - The misconception about being a full time creator

50:02 - Karl’s favorite piece of creative work

53:19 - Karl’s new project - The Shkr.club

1:00:53 - Perfectionism is a creative killer

1:03:38 - The Hidden Cost of Chasing Your Dream

1:05:46 - Advice to your 18 year old self

If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on.

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